


Of Viagra and Teen Vogue

by theladyofthewest



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, F/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:48:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23797948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theladyofthewest/pseuds/theladyofthewest
Summary: How does a demon warlord navigate the zombie apocalypse with his young son and a ridiculous tag-along?
Relationships: Inu no Taishou/Izayoi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	Of Viagra and Teen Vogue

For a demon, this was a dream come true. The world up in shambles, humans preying on their own kind. Sweet irony. For centuries, humans had considered demons, the paranormal, to be their greatest threat - a precarious balance had forged between mortals and those who were clearly anything but. But now the almighty Homo sapiens found themselves being ripped apart by their own loved ones, their own dead loved ones.

Many used this as an opportunity to return to the old days, where humans paid a generous bounty to their demon overlords in exchange for protection from that which would prey upon them. He himself was familiar with legions of his former… ‘allies,’ although perhaps that was too generous a term, who now kept harems of humans they had taken under their protection. Seeing as though currency was hardly of any concern to a demon, one had to wonder what these people were giving in exchange for what meagre defences an ordinary yokai could offer.

He would never. He didn’t care for humans, to begin with, and especially not for their company at a time as such, when his first priority was ensuring the safety of his son. Although the son of two powerful daiyokai, he was unsure of what effect this illness could have on Sesshomaru if he was exposed to it, and had little desire to discover anything of the sort. After his mother - well he was all Sesshomaru had left..as the boy was for him.

His heart ached for his pup. He was too young to have experienced so deep a loss, and now to be torn from his life of luxuries and thrown into this world of destitution - it wasn’t fair to him. He feared that the transition would be enough to strip him of his childhood, wear away the innocence of youth that still shrouded him.

It wasn’t as if survival was difficult, for one of his calibre at least. He could easily pick up on the scent of decay long before they would get anywhere close, and the appalling amount of ruckus they made while prowling didn’t make it any more difficult to evade them either. No, it wasn’t difficult in the slightest. What it was, was lonely. While he loved Sesshomaru dearly, he was a social beast and craved for the presence of one he could truly share himself with. The pup’s mother had been someone like that, but her untimely demise had stripped him of the one he called his closest friend.

Although the attraction that had brought them to one another centuries before had long since faded, it had left in its place a deep companionship, a sense of understanding. He may not have been ‘in love,’ with Miyako, but there was no denying that he felt a very deep love for her, one that transcended her sudden mortality.

“Father!” Sesshomaru’s shout jolted him from his reverie, hackles immediately rising in anticipation of a threat.

There was no scent of death on the horizon? Tilting his head slightly in confusion, it took him a minute to catch what must have alerted Sesshomaru. Running. The sound of feet hitting the rough terrain, ragged breathing. This was human. And it was running for its life. If the human was running, it meant something was definitely following. Straining his ears further, he was surprised to note that there was no dead creature pursuing this human. Was that - another human?

He felt a wave of exasperation travel over him as he rolled his eyes to the heavens. Could humans really still find ways to turn against each other? Even now, when their species was on the verge of extinction? What fickle creatures. It took unparalleled foolishness to behave as they did and yet they still managed to surprise him every single time.

“Come Sesshomaru,” he urged, beckoning his son to his side, “this is not our matter.”

He realized there was still hope for the boy after all when he spoke.

“But Father... It seems as if the human woman is in danger?” His eyes were wide with the innocent morality that only a child could possess, still untouched by the reality of this cold world.

“Woman?” Touga questioned, wondering how Sesshomaru had deduced that solely from the sound of footsteps.

“Her footfalls are lighter than what they would be had she been a male.” He explained casually, eyes still narrowed in the direction of the noise, and Touga felt his heart swell with sudden pride. His son would make a fine hunter when the time came.

Just then, the sound of curses and lowly snarled threats became evident to him as well as the ceasing of the footfalls. It seemed ‘she,’ had been caught.

Sesshomaru had been correct. Either it truly was a woman being pursued, or whichever man had just been caught by his assailant had an interesting vocal range.

From the volume of their … discussion it seemed as if the altercation was taking place right in the foliage of trees beyond his campsite. Well… At the very least it would make for adequate entertainment.

“Let me go!” The shriek that tore from her throat caused a flock of birds to shoot from their resting place.

“Damn it, Izayoi!” The man snarled. “Keep your voice down, or else they’ll hear!” A note of fear entered his voice then and Touga had no doubt that the ‘they,’ he was referring to were the legions of undead that now roamed the area.

“So what?!” She - Izayoi - snapped back, her voice even louder than before. “I’d rather be eaten by a horde of them before doing anything like what you suggested back there, Takemaru!”

Aw, a lovers tiff.

“What’s the harm, Izayoi? We’re friends?! And I mean it has to happen eventually -”

“FRIENDS DOES NOT MEAN I REPOPULATE THE EARTH WITH YOU, TAKEMARU!”

Well. Touga had to agree with her there.

“Our species is dying out, Izzy!” Takemaru pleaded, and Touga could just imagine a man grasping at a woman’s hands in sheer desperation. “And if not me, who? Atleast you know me!”

“Takemaru I - I don’t have feelings for you. I can’t be with someone I don’t love.” Her voice was soft now, beseeching.

“God, Izayoi. I - I didn’t want to have to do this, but you’re not leaving me any choice.”

Now perhaps it was just centuries of battle training - but those words didn’t sound the least bit friendly to him.

Sesshomaru, who had been standing silently by his side up until that point, tugged on his sleeve and gave him a pointed look.

“Father… This Sesshomaru believes it is time for you to intervene. Do not forget that you are the Lord of these lands. The humans may have jilted their obligations, but you can not. Go.”

Furthering his point with a small shove in the direction of the trees, Sesshomaru fixed him with a steely look, refusing to budge until he began to make his way through the trees.

Had he just been ordered into action by his child?

“Unfortunate,” Touga declared as he pushed his way through branches into the small clearing the pair stood in. “As I haven’t been left with another option either.”

He took a moment to survey the scene before him, taking in the tall and slim man who stood hunched over a much smaller woman, who had her head stubbornly turned to the side. Much smaller. What was she, 12?

“Are you attempting to pursue a child?” Touga growled, disgust welling up within him at the new lows humans could drop to.

“Excuse me?!” Izayoi shrieked, whipping her body about to stare at him furiously.

Oh. Well if the fiery eyes and curvy figure that was hinted at under her loose-fitting clothing were any indications, apparently she wasn’t.

“Begone demon!” Takemaru spat, shoving Izayoi behind him unceremoniously.

“Oh, well that’s that.” Touga said mockingly, “you’ve found the ultimate way to eradicate the foul demon! Bravo, little man!”

“Did you really think that would work?” Came the muted whisper from behind Takemaru and Touga grinned, making sure to flash his razor sharp canines, in response.

“Look, boy, the lady has made it clear she has no desire to copulate with you. Although I can’t imagine why, you seem to be so exceedingly charming.”

“This is none of your concern! Besides, what business does your kind have in our affairs?” He hissed furiously, still keeping his hands out as if to ward Touga away.

The mortal’s tone had surpassed insolence now and frankly, he didn’t possess the patience to deal with one as such.

“My kind were the ones your ancestors would beg before they could even think of whelping their bastard spawn. Your forefathers. So you - little man - would do well to watch your tongue.”

“Release the girl,” he snarled, flexing his claws that seemed to immediately burn for this human’s flesh.

Fear flashed through the man’s eyes and Touga took more pleasure than he could explain in watching as his face fell, and as he began to take several hasty steps backwards at his approach.

“What’s the matter, little man? You were so brave a moment ago?”

His ‘bravery,’ seemed to fade incredibly quickly and suddenly he didn’t seem so keen on keeping the girl pressed behind him anymore.

“Let the child go, boy.” He growled.

“AGAIN?! That’s the second time! I am **not** a child!” her shrill voice sounded again from somewhere to the side of him and he blinked in discomfort as it rang in his ears slightly.

“You see? You’re upsetting the young one!”

There was a cross between a frustrated groan and a snarl from her general location and Touga had to fight a smile when he heard her stomping her feet.

“Izayoi,” Takemaru spoke again, holding his hand out to her, “this is your last chance. Come back with me, and we can forget all of this ever happened.”

“No, Takemaru. I refuse to go back with you and be pressured into being with a man I **don’t want.** ”

She might as well have kicked him in the face, with the downtrodden expression he wore. Although, if Touga were to be completely honest, he couldn’t say the mental image wasn’t a delightful one.

“Fine! See if I care! Stay with them and become a demon’s whore!”

Harsh words for the woman he was apparently in love with? A demon’s whore, did he say? Oh no no no -

“FINE! MAYBE I WILL!”

“Uh - that’s really not necessary -” Touga began to speak, only to be rudely interrupted by Izayoi screaming some more about how Takemaru should just leave because nobody needed him here anyways.

It felt like he had been standing amongst these fools for forever and a day when the boy finally turned and left, yelling over his shoulder that he didn’t care whether she died now or when she was ‘birthing his satanic spawn.’

How rude.

And then they were alone.

Touga finally chanced a glance in her direction, surprised at what he saw. She was short, yes - definitely short - but if he was being truthful, she didn’t look like a child from any angle. Her hair was long and thick, wrought with tangles due to having been caught in branches, and probably not being properly combed since the initial outbreak. Her eyes weren’t a mystical shade of blue, a haunting grey, green like the grasses of spring - they were brown. They were the colour of a warm cup of coffee, steaming hot, the first thing you wanted to see on a bleary morning. The colour of the soil you would surround a budding plant with, counting on it to nourish the roots, care for it and watch it grow into a looming tree. She wasn’t a beauty that would be spoken about for centuries to come - but she was enough for him.

Almost immediately he began to backtrack, cursing himself for even allowing the thought to cross his mind. He had other priorities to attend to - like his son. Speaking of which - where was he? Almost as if he could sense that he was being thought of, Sesshomaru chose that exact moment to poke his head out of the trees.

“Father? This Sesshomaru grows weary of awaiting your return. Work faster.”

And just like that he had disappeared again. That kid had a lot of nerve.

“Father?” and evidently he had returned.

“What is this?” he asked, gesturing to the woman who stood across from Touga in the clearing, staring awkwardly at her feet as if she had just realized she had thrust herself upon him with zero warning.

“This is the human woman you were so interested in, Sesshomaru.” Touga muttered, glaring down at him pointedly when Sesshomaru raised an uninterested brow.

“Oh. Did you keep her as a pet for me then?”

For fucks sake -

“She’s a person, Sesshomaru - not your pet dog.” He snapped angrily.

“ **She** is right here and can hear everything you’re saying!”

Oh.

“Well - do you need anything else before we leave?” Touga asked, turning to face her. It was then that he realized just how tiny she was. Her head barely came up to his chest and yet there she was staring up at him in not-so-silent outrage.

“Leave?! You’re going to just leave me alone in the woods? Where those things could show up any time and make a meal out of me?!” Her eyes were wide as she stared at him in apparent shock, her hands flying to her throat in surprise.

“Listen well child -” He began before she interrupted him angrily.

“I. AM. NOT. A. CHILD.”

“AND I SAID LISTEN TO ME.” He roared, watching in slight satisfaction as she flinched backwards in apparent shock before settling into a defensive pose with an angry pout on her face.

“I did not ask you to declare that you intended to become my mistress. You decided that all on your own. Now you deal with the consequences of leaving your group behind and you learn to live with it.”

She looked like she was torn between screaming at him and crying and he found himself sincerely hoping she didn’t choose the latter. Regardless, she wasn’t his responsibility and he refused to shoulder her burden.

“Come, Sesshomaru, we’re done here.”

Touga had taken only a few steps before he realized that his son wasn’t following.

“Father. My pet, we can’t leave her behind.”

“Sesshomaru - that is a human being, not your pet. How many times must I repeat the same thing?”

Between that dratted woman-child and his own stubborn pup, his patience was beginning to wear incredibly thin.

“Father, she is this Sesshomaru’s pet. This one has decreed it so.”

Touga had to take an honest minute to wonder how his son had survived to this point when the boy held up a hand signalling for him to stop talking as he approached the sniffling woman.

“Pet, do you require a…I believe the humans call it ‘snuggle?’” He said in an imperious tone of voice and suddenly Touga found himself wishing that Ryuukotsusei had managed to land a fatal blow all those years before.

“This one’s wise teacher once told this Sesshomaru that pets are for loving and that they are to be snuggled, lest they become most melancholy.” He peered at her with curious golden eyes as if he expected her to collapse into a heap of sobs at any moment.

“Father! We are keeping the pet, this Sesshomaru shall feed her himself.”

“You can not even feed yourself and you expect to hunt for another child?” Touga growled down at him, resisting the urge to knock his son in the head with something when he nodded sagely as if it made perfect sense to him.

“No, no, you misunderstand. You shall hunt for this Sesshomaru and his pet, Father. This Sesshomaru will then feed the food to his pet.”

“Well that’s just fan-fucking-tastic. More work for me.” He snapped, turning away from the girl whose eyes seemed to bore holes into his back as she glared at him. Why did her apparent disappointment in him trouble him so? Why should it matter to him what she thought of him? She was a human, young for even their standards, and he had no desire to split his attention between his son’s well-being and that of another. If he could offend her delicate sensibilities enough to send her crawling back to her group of humans, then he was doing them both a favour as far as he was concerned.

“I’ll provide for myself,” she whispered, knowing she had no need to raise her voice when both yokai could hear her clearly. “There’s no need for you to trouble yourself on my account.”

He heard it then. The note of steel that had crept into her voice. He knew then that she was stubborn, just as much as he was, if not more so.

“You turn away my Father’s skill?” Sesshomaru asked, his mouth dropping open in shock, “you are a fool, pet.”

Touga glanced back over his shoulder slightly at her, watching in muted interest as her spine stiffened at Sesshomaru’s words. There was no way she could have known that the boy had a habit of calling anything that moved a fool whenever the mood struck him.

“Izayoi is your name, is it not?” he spoke, the hidden despair on her face awakening something in him that he was sure had died a long time ago.

Her eyes, those dark orbs, unlike any he’d seen before, flew up to meet his and for a moment he forgot everything. Forgot where he stood, who he was, and everything that had brought him to that moment. In that one second of time, in that one insignificant forest, he felt the entire weight of the world lift from his shoulders, and suddenly everything had changed.

Part of him hated her. Hated her for destroying the fragile balance he had built in his life since Miyako’s death, since assuming full responsibility for Sesshomaru. He had watched her race run itself into the ground, and now they stood turning on each other and feasting on the flesh of their own brethren; yet this one girl had the nerve to stare into his eyes as if she was anywhere close to being his equal? He, who had lived more years than her entire lineage had existed, who had more blood on his hands than she did in her entire body. He could snap her neck in a fraction of a second - and yet the thought of a single scratch on this one, small human was enough to create a fire in his blood.

“I am Touga.”

When he spoke, his voice was deeper than usual, and he worked to suppress a low growl when he saw her eyes flash momentarily to his lips before she forced them back up to his own.

“This group is my pack, Izayoi, and I am its Alpha. When I order, you will obey. You will match your pace with my own, and in turn I will provide you with my protection and food to sate your hunger. If you fall behind, if you lose your way - I will not be coming to look for you. If you remember nothing else of this discussion, remember that. You are not my responsibility. Do you understand?”

There was a beat of silence as they both regarded each other, her still huddled up across the clearing, looking smaller than usual, but the fire in her eyes made him straighten his own spine, hackles rising slightly at the clear challenge.

“I understand.”

Her gaze told a different story. One of rebellion, testing the waters, and wearing his patience incredibly thin.

Touga was fire. Rippling flames, scorching heat, leaving a path of irreversible destruction in his wake, and something told him that Izayoi wouldn’t mind being burned.

It was with a low snarl that he turned and began to lead the way out of the clearing, realizing every time he heard her take in a breath, that he would live to regret this decision.

______________________________

He was regretting it.

They had been walking for an hour when the complaints started. Minimal, at first. Things like

_“Do you ever smile?”_

_“Your legs are so much longer than mine!”_

_“Ugh, do we have much farther to go?”_

It seemed that the haunting silence that had overtaken their little group for the last little while had been a purely temporary fix that arose from her momentary vexation at him. Now that she had recovered, she was ready to talk a mile a minute and seemed determined to not just make him listen but to also make him respond.

Lovely.

“We’re making camp here for the night,” he spoke over his shoulder, a ghost of a smile touching his lips as he heard a groan of relief before she dropped to the ground unceremoniously, moaning about her legs.

“Oh thank the lord! You have some semblance of mercy!”

“Sesshomaru.” he called, keeping a careful eye on his son as he strode out of the trees and came to a stop before him.

“Father. This Sesshomaru has scouted the surrounding area, it is fit for this one’s pet to rest in.”

Sometimes, Touga had a hard time believing that Sesshomaru was his son, especially when the boy acted as if he was the older one who was educating an over-excited pup.

“Stay in the campsite, and keep an ear out. I’m going to hunt, I’ll return soon.”

Sesshomaru nodded before he turned and went to sit against a tree with a look of deep concentration on his face, and Touga had no doubt that the pup was concentrating on hearing everything in the vicinity.

It was a while before Touga returned to campsite, allowing his demon side to roam free was calming, therapeutic in a sense. The beast had remained cooped inside for far too long and allowing the more primal aspect of his nature to take charge served to be a soothing experience. Human morality was something he’d acquired after spending millennia in their presence. To allow himself to forget the constraints of their society, even for a short time, was oddly liberating. A return to a simpler time, in which demons were free to be just that.

He took pleasure in the hunt that night, dragging the carcass back to the campsite with a bloodied muzzle. He chose to shift back into his humanoid form before entering the clearing, figuring that the last thing he needed was a hysterical Izayoi on his hands, were he to prance in, in full dog form.

He didn’t even realize that he had been approaching her until the dull thud of a body hitting the ground reached him. His kill. He had dropped his kill in front of her. Like some sort of offering. It would take a fool not to realize what was happening - and he was anything but. Her shocked eyes lifted to his and he was surprised to see not a trace of fear within them.

“You killed this? All on your own? Wow, that’s impressive. You must be strong!”

Oh for fuck’s sake. She couldn’t have found anything else to say. His inner demon was prancing with pride at having their ability recognized, whereas Touga, in that moment, could not have hated himself more.

“Hnnnn,” he grunted in a non-committal fashion before moving away from her to throw himself down on the other side of the meagre fire she had built.

“Take whatever meat you’ll eat and set it aside to be prepared for cooking. You need it more than we do, so take your fill.”

She was staring at him again. He could feel it. There was a heat emanating from somewhere… and it certainly didn’t seem to be coming from the fire in front of him.

He saw a shudder pass over her and gave a snarl of irritation, delighting in the small gasp she gave when her eyes met his. Good, let her know what kind of predator he was. He stood then, stalking over to the pile of wood he presumed Sesshomaru had gathered for her, pulling a few pieces into his arms before returning to her fading fire.

Dropping the extra logs into it, he began to stoke the flames slowly, eyes lifting to hers over the crackling flames. Her gaze, just as he expected, was trained on him. She lowered it then, her dark eyes falling on his hands that stoked the flames of the fire she had lit. Although at this point, neither of them had any true idea of just which flame they were referring to.

It seemed like an eternity before she put her attention back on the carcass before her, her hands struggling to keep a hold on the meat. Her face twisted in distress and it became extremely clear to him that princess had never had to skin her own meal before. He found himself wondering whether Takemaru had been the one to do it for her and was surprised at himself when the thought immediately served to worsen his mood.

He watched her struggle for a few more minutes until he caught Sesshomaru’s gaze and noted the exasperation on the pup’s face. Touga felt his level of frustration rise exponentially when he made a point of looking at her and then back at him, as if reminding him that his duty as their alpha was to assist her.

He damn well knew what he was supposed to be doing, and he didn’t need his son reminding him of it either.

Standing up again, he strode towards her before unceremoniously plucking the animal out of her hands.

“You’ve never done this before, have you?” He asked quietly, keeping his eyes focused on his task, sharp claws easily shredding through layers of flesh.

Her hands toyed with the strap on the backpack she had brought with her, uncaring of the fact that they were sullied with the blood of his kill.

“No… Back with the others, I was never - Takemaru had… Other people take care of all of the work like that.” Her voice faded out in certain areas, telling Touga that there was something that she didn’t want to tell him. Something she felt uncomfortable revealing.

“And by other people, you must mean people who weren’t as fortunate as you were before all of this went down?” He laughed, the sound tinged with malice.

In demons, their division came from power. Not from inconsequential things such as money, gender, or skin colour. But humans - they would find any reason to distance themselves from each other, to prove themselves as better, more worthy of life than others of their own species.

When her face flooded with colour, he took it as a confirmation of what he had originally suspected.

“I’m right, aren’t I, princess?”

She didn’t answer him, her fingers tightening on the buckles of her worn down backpack being the only indication that she had even heard him.

“Why do you carry that?” He grunted, snapping a bone under one of his hands as he gestured to her bag with the other. “Surely you don’t think it’ll hold up?”

Part of him realized that he was just needlessly going after her now. Looking for any excuse to convince himself that she wasn’t worth disrupting the peace he had built in his life. A glance in Sesshomaru’s direction told him the pup clearly disapproved of his attitude, but knew better than to openly contradict his father.

“It was my mother’s. She gave it to me when I was a girl.” She finally whispered. “It’s all I have left of her ever since she was bitten.”

He felt as if the world had just been snatched from under his feet. Sesshomaru was now making his displeasure with his father no secret as he growled lowly in his direction.

“I’m sorry to have troubled you for so long,” she continued softly, “but I think I’ve taken enough advantage of your hospitality. Thank you for allowing me to accompany you this far, you were right, I had no right to impose myself upon you.”

Was it just him or was the scent of salt suddenly heavy in the air? She - she was crying.

Without another word, she stood and made her way into the shadow of the trees disappearing from his view within minutes.

“That was very low of you, Father.” Sesshomaru said quietly, staring off into the trees after her, “you take so much time to explain the importance of utilizing our strength for the betterment of others. This Sesshomaru fails to see what in that interaction could have possibly benefited her.”

As if he didn’t feel shitty enough. And now she was gone. Off into the woods all by herself simply because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. If he was unable to keep a hold of himself around her, then what fault was it of hers? She probably hadn’t followed him intending for a crazed daiyokai to develop - he wasn’t even sure what he felt towards her.

_“If you lose your way, I will not be coming to look for you. You’re not my responsibility.”_

Then why did it feel like she was?

Would she have gotten far? Where would she spend the night? Would she have the sense to spend it in a tree where the undead couldn’t reach her? ….Would he stumble upon her mutilated corpse come morning? Or worse would he have to put her out of the misery of ‘living,’ a condemned existence, hungering for flesh?

It felt as if he had been thinking of everything that could go wrong for hours, each possibility seeming worse than the one before it.

Enough.

“Sesshomaru,” he said, lurching to his feet with a sudden sense of determination.

“This one was beginning to wonder whether you would ever act, Father.”

There was a ghost of a smile on his son’s face as he stood and made his way over to a tree, easily scaling its height and settling himself into a branch, hidden from view.

“This Sesshomaru will await your return. There is no need for you to worry, for this one is your son, after all. There will be no problems in…I believe the term is ‘holding down the fort.’”

For fuck’s sake.

The short laugh that escaped him was the only sign he gave that he had even heard his son, and then he was off. His blood seemed to be singing as he shifted into his original form, a thunderous sound occurring as his colossal paws hit the dirt.

And then the air was filled with the scent of decaying flesh and he knew that

were here. Just the knowledge that Izayoi was out there unprotected when these devilish creatures were roaming for their next meal was enough to send him into a rage. He had to get to her. He wouldn’t let her die - not her too.

It wasn’t long before he picked up on her scent, mingled with that of theirs, and the sounds of their frenzied groaning reached him. They were closing in on her.

Was the woman daft?! She wasn’t screaming for help, she wasn’t running - she was just letting them find her.

Picking up on his pace, he shifted his course so that rather than intercepting the horde, he would end up directly where she was.

It was then that he heard her.

“Mama? Is that you?”

No. Of all of the beasts that could have stumbled upon her -

“It’s me, Mama! Me, Izayoi! Your Izayoi.” Her voice broke on the last of her words and he felt his heart lurch in response.

“Mama, I’m alone. So alone without you. Take me with you, Mama. Don’t leave me here. Don’t leave me alone again, Mama.” She was sobbing now and he felt a raging fire building within him at the very thought of what she was suggesting.

She was close now, he could smell the salt of her tears, and as the thicket came into view he shifted back into his humanoid form, tearing through the trees until he spotted her.

Izayoi.

“GET BACK, IZAYOI!” He roared, bursting forwards to force her behind him, creating a wall between her and … her mother.

“No - Mama -” she began to protest, struggling to escape his hold.

“Izayoi, listen to me - IZAYOI!” He snarled, grabbing her by her shoulders and forcing her to look at him.

“Whatever that thing is - it’s not your mother. Not anymore.”

He glanced back slightly over his shoulder, noting that in all this time, that thing hadn’t made a single move towards Izayoi.

Perhaps some part of still recognized the child it had reared during its life.

He had only a moment to consider that before the others joined them in the clearing. A horde of those things, and unlike Izayoi’s mother, they were determined to get to her. To hurt her - and that was something he couldn’t let happen. Not today, not ever.

There were atleast 50 of them - and one of him. Had he been alone this wouldn’t have been a problem, but he couldn’t afford to move more than a foot away from Izayoi. He couldn’t risk one of them getting to her - or worse her running to her mother’s walking corpse.

It was then that he saw it. Sticking out of her old backpack. A sword. A rusted and old sword that looked as if it would snap in two the second he touched it, but it was a sword nonetheless.

“Izayoi - the sword?” He asked, moving so he stood directly in front of her, arms spread open before her like a shield.

“It was in my mother’s family,” she said finally, as if in a trance, “passed down for generations. She said the day it was put to use, I would know that I had found the man -”

“Okay yeah that’s fabulous, but I’m going to need you to give it to me, right now.”

He realized that he was being rude, interrupting her, but he figured that seeing as though he was about to save her life, he would get a pass for today. He felt a pang of guilt when she put the rusted blade in his hands without another word.

Bringing it forwards not a battle stance, he tried to force himself to concentrate, despite the one thought that was running circles in his mind.

_‘Damn it, I have to get Izayoi out of here. I need to keep her safe.’_

And then everything changed.

The rusted sword in his hand pulsed, emitting a bright light as he put it into motion, and when he swung it downwards, there was a monstrous fang in its place.

Well that was unexpected. He didn’t have much time to dwell on it however, what with the army of undead creatures advancing at a rather consistent pace.

There was a surge of something building within him, some burst of power that was finding its way towards the blade that was tearing through the rotted flesh of any that came close enough. There was almost a welding of the air in front of him, where the winds would collide. And there in the centre, he saw it. The jagged mark that denoted the epicentre of the gathering force. Lifting the sword high over his head, he let out an earth shattering roar as he swung it downwards through the wind scar.

And then the earth really did shatter. Or at least that was what it seemed like. There was an explosion of raw power, unlike anything he’d experienced before, and a surge of bright light that served to blind him momentarily.

When it faded, everything had been obliterated.

Deep gashes marred the bloodstained earth, trees had been torn apart, and all that remained of the legions of creatures were some scattered limbs, with the majority of the rotting flesh having disintegrated under the power of the blow.

But off to the side, just outside of the direct line of the attack, stood Izayoi’s mother, regarding the pair of them with dull eyes, her mouth open in a low groan. Touga found himself praying that this would be the end of it, that she would turn and leave the clearing and he wouldn’t have to do what he feared he would. He gave a low growl of warning as Izayoi moved out from behind the safety of his form.Then she began to move towards them. Her arms were outstretched and he saw the tortured look on Izayoi’s face as the shell of her mother approached her.

Touga kept his eyes glued to the dead woman’s face, searching for any shift in her countenance that could suggest her being a threat, all the while praying he would find no such thing. It was only moments later that he found exactly what he was looking for.

Lurching forwards he hauled the thing away from Izayoi as it lunged for her, teeth snapping. One clawed hand secured both of hers behind her back while the other forced her head down. His eyes met Izayoi’s and his heart broke for the tears slowly making their way down her face as she realized that she truly had lost her mother.

“That isn’t my Mama,” she choked out, a sob tearing from her throat as the woman in his grip struggled at the sound of her voice, hands clawing the air where Izayoi should have been.

“Not anymore,” he whispered softly.

“You - please - you have to put her out of her misery, Touga. This isn’t what she would have wanted. My mother she - she doesn’t deserve this.”

Her eyes bore into his with a kind of ferocity he hadn’t seen before, her hands fisted at her sides, shaking slightly. So young - she was too young to have to make a decision like this. He nodded wordlessly, averting his eyes from the intensity of hers.

“Can I - can I speak to her once… before you -” she swallowed hard when her voice gave out, lower lip trembling as silent sobs began to wrack her small frame.

He tightened his grip on her mother’s form before gesturing for her to approach. A smile touched her lips as she came closer to what was once the woman who had loved her more than anyone.

“Oh moon, who shines so bright and white,” she whispered softly, her hands hesitantly reaching for her mother who strained to grasp her in her arms, snapping her teeth at her daughter again.

“Do me this task, be still this night.” she continued, and Touga was forced to tear his gaze away from the pair, feeling as if he was intruding on something incredibly intimate. And in a way, he supposed he was. The final goodbye between mother and daughter.

“My princess, she now yearns for sleep,” Izayoi breathed, tears openly tracking down her face as she struggled to compose herself.

“Give her such dreams she’ll yearn to keep.”

Any semblance of control she had managed to build was shattered when her mother went limp in his arms, simply regarding her with calm eyes. His heart clenched when she cried out for her mother a final time before forcing herself to stumble several steps backwards.

“I can’t - I can’t stay and watch,” she whimpered, turning and fleeing from the clearing on shaky legs.

Touga pressed his eyes shut for a moment when he felt the sting of impending tears. Forcing them open again he glanced down at the … woman he kept trapped in his hold.

She was staring after her. Her struggles had ceased, her eyes trained on where her daughter had run off into the woods, a sort of clarity in them. She turned her head then, looking up at him and he was surprised to see a sheen of tears in them.

She remembered.

Her gaze returned to where her daughter had stood, and then to the discarded backpack that lay on the forest floor and as she began to move away from him, he dropped his hands and allowed her to stand before him, her head tilted back to stare directly into his eyes.

_‘Take care of my daughter.’_

It didn’t take anyone special to understand what words the tongue that had long since lost the ability to speak were desperately trying to convey to him.

_‘You are not my responsibility, Izayoi.’_

“Your princess is my responsibility now.”

His voice was deeper than he expected it to be, and he cleared his throat when he felt the sting of tears in his eyes again.

“I will protect her,” he continued, feeling the sword in his hand hum in acknowledgment of his words, “this I swear on my life.”

A shadow of a smile touched her face as she stared at the transformed fang hanging from his grip and her eyes found his again, lighter this time. A soft groaning noise came from her, and he could do little more than nod in response to her unspoken plea. She wanted him to do it now.

He lifted the sword and pointed it at her, feeling his own hands begin to shake. But the look in Izayoi’s mother’s eyes wouldn’t allow him to waver now. She needed this, Izayoi needed this.

“Find peace in the next life,” he whispered, staring intently at her, “and rest assured that your Izayoi will live long.”

She smiled at him then, a genuine smile, and the tremor in his hands grew stronger.

It was quick.

One quick stroke and her misery was ended.

He set about gathering some wood and began to arrange it into a makeshift funeral pyre. She would leave this world the same way she had striven to live in it. With respect and honour.

When he finally got the flames of her pyre burning, he stood back and watched, hoping that wherever she would go from here, she would be happy and be able to watch over her daughter in contentment. He knew what it was to worry for a child, to fear for them and he could only pray that he would live up to responsibility she had placed on his shoulders.

It was said that a mother’s love was enough to call one back from the jaws of death itself. Today he had seen that himself. Her love for her daughter had been enough to bring her back from a place that even death was loath to visit, and she had died immersed in that love, determined to see her child protected and safe.

It was strange, the things one would do for their offspring, the things one found themselves capable of when it came to their offspring.

And this woman’s offspring was sitting in the forest, a scant few metres from her funeral pyre, screaming her grief to the very heavens her mother had departed to.

He felt as if he had stood there for eternity when the flames finally ebbed.

Izayoi’s screaming had long since faded and he took tentative steps in the direction of where she had run off to, finding her on her knees in the centre of the clearing, her face pressed into her hands. Every now and then she would whimper and her hands would clench at the knotted mass of ebony tresses on her head.

“Come,” he said softly, reaching for her and drawing her into his arms before he stood and began to make his way back to camp.

“Touga,” she whispered, her face turned into his shoulder, hands clenching at the fabric of his clothing. “Did she suffer?”

His grip on her tightened at her questioned and he shook his head, not knowing whether she had even seen the gesture.

When she whispered her thanks into his flesh, he knew she had.

_______________________________________________________________________

Sesshomaru met them on the ground when they returned, his eyes fixed on Izayoi’s crumpled form in his father’s arms.

“Father… what happened?” he asked once his father had lowered her to the ground gently, settling a fur over her quivering form.

“Her mother was one of them - she had to be… she’s gone now.” He responded quietly, glancing back over his shoulder at Izayoi.

She looked so small, so desolate.

Sesshomaru’s eyes widened with momentary understanding before he left his father’s side and approached Izayoi.

“Did you never wonder where this Sesshomaru’s mother is?”

Izayoi’s eyes lifted to the boy beside her for a moment before she looked back down at the ground.

“This one’s mother is in the same place yours is, Izayoi.” Sesshomaru whispered softly, one small hand covering hers.

Her gaze flew up to his, filling with tears before she began to cry again.

“I miss her sometimes,” he continued, one claw tracing over a bump in the dirt and Touga didn’t miss the lack of referring to himself in the third person.

“But sometimes when I lie down to sleep, I can almost feel her with me again. My mama told me that a mother never likes to see her pups cry, that she feels their pain worse than they do.” There was no mistaking the tremor in the boy’s voice now and Touga forced his gaze away from the pair, swallowing against the sudden thickness in his throat.

“When you cry,” Sesshomaru choked out, sniffling lightly, “you make your mama feel sad, you don’t want to do that, do you?”

Izayoi shook her head wordlessly, her hand gripping Sesshomaru’s smaller one tightly.

And now both little ones were in tears.

Touga moved towards the pair then, settling himself between them as he drew Sesshomaru into his side and Izayoi into his lap, tucking her head under his chin, despite her weak protests.

“Enough,” he growled, holding her tighter against him, “there is no need to act as if you are mourning alone when such is not the case. I will tell you now the same thing I told Sesshomaru then - there is nothing wrong with leaning on somebody Izayoi, grief was not meant to be a solitary burden.”

A lone sob tore from her throat before she threw her arms around him and began to weep in earnest. He could feel her nails digging into his back as she clutched onto him tightly, her tears dampening his clothing. She struggled to breathe between her fits of grief, pushing her head farther into his chest as his hand rubbed along her back soothingly.

“It - it wasn’t supposed to be like this,” she wailed, beating her fists on his back in sudden rage and he gave a low hum of understanding.

“I know.”

It felt like they remained that way for hours, the three of them. Izayoi hiccuping slightly as her sobs subsided and she drifted into a fitful sleep, Sesshomaru clutching tightly at his sleeve as he scrunched his face up in an effort to quell his own tears, and Touga wanting more than anything for both of them to find their happiness again.

“Father?” Sesshomaru whispered a little while later, his head resting on Touga’s shoulder as he tried to fight off the waves of sleep threatening to overcome him.

“Hnnn.”

“Do you think Mother can still see us?”

“I know she can, my little hunter. And I’ll wager she’s very pleased with her little boy.”

Sesshomaru gave a long yawn, shaking his head out slightly before he settled himself against his father, beginning to drift off to sleep as well.

“Father,” he slurred, his eyes fighting to stay open and Touga grunted in response.

“I’ll wager Mother is pleased with you and Izayoi too.”

The sound of his son’s soft snores reached him before he could respond and suddenly he was hyper aware of Izayoi’s arms wound around him, clinging to him in her sleep.

Knowing Miyako… she would be.

The pair slept through the night with little disruption and Sesshomaru rose with the light of dawn, seeming to have recovered from his emotional lapse last night and was now in full form, ready to dictate the morning’s agenda.

Izayoi, on the other hand, slept well into the morning and awoke closer to noon.

He found himself hoping that she would launch into speech and never stop - talk his damn ears off if she had to, anything was better than the silence that came from her.

He could feel her eyes on him - they had never strayed far and been glued to him since the moment she awoke. Judging by the look on her face, she was deeply contemplating something and as far as he was concerned, if staring at him helped divert her attention from her sorrow, he was content to sit as a model for her every hour of the day. He never wanted to see her the way he had the night before ever again, every tear that she shed, every gasped breath was a wound on his heart, and he would do anything to see her smile again.

It continued like that for a week, with Izayoi regarding his every movement with careful precision, barely speaking, but always watching. It seemed as if there was seldom a moment where those dark eyes weren’t trained on him with an almost frightening intensity. Even Sesshomaru noticed and often took to joining her, so then he had two freaks staring at him and analyzing everything he did, with Sesshomaru often calling out further instructions such as

_“Father! The sun is shining in this Sesshomaru’s eyes - do something about it immediately.”_

_“Father, stoke the fire, this Sesshomaru prefers to feel toasty.”_

_“Father don’t be foolish, of course you can’t think to feed this Sesshomaru a baby deer? This one will eat only the leader of their group!”_

He was going to kill this kid one day.

And then one day she finally spoke, and he thought he might cry from the relief of having something other than Sesshomaru’s orders to listen to.

“Did you know Touga, that the sword you carry with you once belonged to a demon?”

Her voice shocked him so much he almost dropped the stack of wood he was carrying.

“Uh.. I figured,” he said gruffly, stooping to retrieve the few errant logs that had fallen, “humans don’t usually go around waving swords that transform into fangs.”

“The legend in my mother’s family said that when a maiden finds a man that the sword transforms for, she can assume she’s found the man she’s meant for.”

Son of a bitch.

His eyes snapped to hers in shock, and he could feel his jaw going slack as her words continued to echo in his mind.

_‘Maiden….transformed….man she’s meant for.’_

Oh hell no. Izayoi was still young, she didn’t need to be tied down to someone like him. And why the hell should he involve himself with someone who would destroy him when she died in a few decades. Just the reminder of her impending mortality was enough to cause his heart to clench - there was no need to bond himself to someone that would cause him unimaginable pain when she left him. He didn’t think he’d be able to deal with that…not this time.

She was still watching him, as if trying to gauge his reaction to the bombshell she had just dropped.

“Legend?” He scoffed, unable to bear the sight of the growing sadness in her eyes as his silence stretched on.

“What could you possibly know about those? What are you, 12?”

As he expected, the sorrow vanished from her face only to be replaced by rage as her hands clenched tightly at her sides.

“I’M NOT A CHILD!” She screamed, and he had to fight hard to repress a laugh when she stomped her foot in anger.

“…really?” he prodded, with a pointed look down at her feet and her face flushed as she crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest.

“No! I’m 20 years old, an ADULT, and I know what I’m talking about.” She snarled, narrowing her eyes in his direction as he mirrored her position, holding his arms across his broad chest as he braced his legs apart.

The anger faded from her face momentarily as she took in his position, her eyes dragging up his form slowly in a way that made him feel as if he had been standing in the baking sun for hours uninterrupted.

Did she feel lonely? Was she trying to fill the hole in her life that her mother’s departure had left, and using the backdrop of an old family legend to further his claims? He had heard of these sorts of bewitched swords before. They would transform or display their powers only under certain conditions.

“Izayoi,” he said quietly, focusing his gaze on her face, forcing her eyes to snap back up to his. “There’s no need to try and fill -”

“It’s not about that!” She snapped, turning her face away from him and staring at the ground. There was something else - something she didn’t want to admit to him. Regardless, he wasn’t about to let her throw her life away like this.

“Izayoi, you have no idea what you’re trying to get yourself into,” he growled, one hand moving to clutch at the back of his neck, which was suddenly wrought with tension.

Her eyes followed the movement again, settling on the bulging muscle in his arm with a sort of hunger that made him want to shake some sense into her - or do something else entirely.

And then she processed his words and her face twisted in unhappiness, settling into another pout.

“I’m not trying to get myself into anything! I’m trying to get you into someone!”

He thanked whatever God resided above them that he hadn’t been drinking anything because had he been, it would have just been spat out all over her.

“Excuse me?!”

Her face coloured as if she were surprised at her own audacity before she decided that she did indeed stand by her words and chose to simply raise an audacious brow at him.

“Are you aware of what you just said?” He gasped, one hand rubbing errantly over his thudding heart.

“Completely!” She said emphatically, a small smirk tugging at her mouth as she observed how visibly thrown off he was.

“Izayoi, listen to me,” he began, hands raised in caution as if he were afraid she would throw herself at him any moment, “I am so much older than you are.”

“I like older men!” She quipped without missing a beat and he had to resist the urge to groan loudly.

Touga knew that her level of stubbornness on this came partly from losing her mother, she was loath to let any feelings within her go unspoken. Humans were strange like that - they developed this tendency to ‘live every day like it was their last.’ Pointless, he thought, because he definitely was not going to allow Izayoi’s last day to be anytime soon.

“You’re not understanding,” he continued softly, “by older I don’t mean 5,10,15 years. Sesshomaru is probably older than your father, can you imagine what my age must be?”

She seemed to have missed the entire point of his statement.

“THE PIPSQUEAK? He’s like 8?!”

She whipped around to stare at Sesshomaru, who was already staring back with a displeased look on his face.

“This Sesshomaru is not a pipsqueak, the fact that you would dare to refer to this one as such-”

“Physically, he looks like he’s 8.” Touga interrupted, ignoring the affronted look on his son’s face.

Izayoi turned back to face him with an exasperated look on her face, her hands flying to her hips.

“I don’t care about all of that! You can’t deny that there’s something here!” Her voice took a pleading note towards the end, her eyes boring into his as she dared him to pretend that he didn’t feel what she did. She had no idea of what he felt.

Humans could not understand the feelings of demons. A daiyokai held the potential to love more deeply than any human could understand. There was no turning back, no separation, once he had truly given himself to someone, there would be no other. He didn’t think she was prepared to deal with the reality of that. Her species was a flighty one, often changing their minds and were in possession of fickle hearts.

“Izayoi, I am 2000 years old.” He snarled, moving so he stood directly in front of her now delighting in the small gasp that tore from her throat at his sudden proximity.

“I. Don’t. Care.” She hissed back, enunciating each word slowly and deliberately.

“You’re going to stop this nonsense immediately.”

In retrospect, he should have known she would have said something like what she did. There was no way she would have taken that lying down and he could have kicked himself for not realizing it sooner.

“Make me.”

And then the most peculiar thing happened. He could suddenly feel the softness of her lips, something he had only thought of before, pressing into his own, her mouth sealed under his.

Oh no. Well this was going to prove to be problematic indeed.

Although he fully realized that this one decision of his would prove to muck up his entire life, he couldn’t seem to take his goddamn mouth off of hers.

His body seemed to have a mind of its own as his arms wound around her, one hand tangling in the hair at the base of her neck to cement her form against his.

He felt as if he had been doused in ice water when her arms moved to grab at his hair. This couldn’t be allowed to continue.

Tearing away from her, he took several large steps back, holding one hand out in a silent warning for her to stay away.

“That can’t happen again,” he panted, watching as the hopefulness faded from her face to be replaced a deep hurt which quickly morphed into anger again.

“Aw, what’s the matter?” She cooed in a falsely sugary tone and he felt his blood pressure begin to rise in anticipation of whatever stupid thing she was going to say. “Ran out of Viagra, old man? What’s the dosage for that like for a 2000 year old anyways?”

Touga felt his spine stiffen in indignation and turned angry eyes to stare piercingly at her in response.

“What would a kid know about Viagra? Did they mention it in Teen Vogue?” He sneered, watching in secret delight as her smugness vanished immediately.

Part of him desired to show her just how little he needed something meant for impotent human males, but the larger half of him pointed out that, that was exactly the outcome he was trying to avoid here.

“Besides, I can not imagine why anyone would want to be rid of you, you’re so … charming.” He snarled, hands clenching by his sides.

She glared at him angrily, choosing not to respond as she stomped off to sit at the opposite edge of the camp, staring off into the trees.

Touga’s gaze met Sesshomaru’s across the site, whose eyes were wide, and he immediately tore them away upon making eye contact.

Just great. This was exactly what he needed.

Growling angrily to himself, he stormed off towards the thicket of trees, thinking to distance himself from the woman sitting there staring at him.

He spent a while in the woods, simply pacing through the trees, struggling to contain the churning mass of emotions within him.

Did he have feelings for Izayoi? That much was obvious, of course he did. Just the thought of someone else so much as looking at her was enough to set his blood aflame. Just the thought of her hands on him was enough to do the same, albeit in a very different way.

Could he force Izayoi to a life with a demon? Not when he lov -

for her as he did.

There was a rustling in the trees behind him that caused him to whip about with a growl, fangs bared. And it was out of those trees that she arrived.

“Did you leave my son on his own?” Touga snarled, storming towards her in anger, impressed when she stood her ground.

“Your son is the one who sent me.” She snapped back, staring at him challengingly as if daring him to say anything further on the matter.

“What has he sent you here for?” He asked, turning his back on her and taking a few large steps away. He couldn’t think when she was so close to him, so soft and obviously willing. Fuck - he couldn’t afford to lose control. Not when one slip of his could serve to destroy her entire future. She was young and beautiful, her race could still recover from this apocalypse. She could have a future with a human man, one that would be snatched from her because she had been claimed by some horrific demon who claimed to love her and yet destroyed her with his own hand.

_‘But the sword - it transformed for you, you fool. You are the one she was meant for.’_

A large part of him hissed furiously. He was at war with himself, part of him insisted that he think of her and what she could have if he could simply control him, while another part of him roared at him to lay claim to what had so generously been given to them.

Despite the fact that even thinking about someone else making her happy, someone else kissing her the way he had, hurt more than he could describe - he had to bear that pain. For Izayoi’s sake, for the sake of her future.

“To discuss… us.” She said awkwardly, and he didn’t need to be looking at her to know that she was wringing her hands in front of her, one foot scuffing at the ground.

“There is no us.”

That was cold, he knew it. But that was the only way he could think of to show her that he wasn’t the one for her. A man that was so cold to her - she wouldn’t possibly be able to feel anything for someone like him.

She let out a cross between a gasp and a shriek of anger as she grabbed at his shoulder and forced him around to face her, moving so she stood pressed up against him, one finger poking into his chest.

“Liar, you’re a filthy liar… and a coward. You can’t pull your head out of your ass long enough to see what’s plain as day in front of you, YOU FUCKING COWARD!”

He didn’t know what came over him, but suddenly he was kissing her again. Holding her tightly up against him, trailing kisses down her throat, egged on by her throaty gasps and the sound of his name spilling from her lips like a prayer.

“I can’t do this, Izayoi.” he panted, dragging his mouth away from hers after what felt like a century.

“Touga,” she snarled, yanking on his hair to pull his attention back to her, “tell me honestly, do you have feelings for me?”

“Izayoi, I -”

“Yes or no! Tell me that you wouldn’t feel anything if I were to return to Takemaru’s side right now? He would welcome me with open arms, and there would be nothing stopping me from doing exactly as he wanted. That wouldn’t upset you? You would be absolutely fine with me bearing Takemaru’s children? Tell me, Touga, would you come to bless my son?”

“ENOUGH.”

He saw red. In that moment, imagining Izayoi settling down with Takemaru, making a little world for herself with him, with another man, was enough to cause his entire chest to seize painfully.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” She whispered softly, her voice breaking on the words. “Imagining you with anyone else, anyone else coming close to you - it hurts me. It’s the same for you isn’t it?”

“OF COURSE IT IS, DAMN IT.” he roared, grabbing her by the shoulders to pull her close to him. “And what of it?! Because I can’t fucking deal with my feelings, you should waste your life tied to a demon?!”

Her eyes went incredibly wide for a moment before they lit up with a sort of rage that he had never seen before.

“Waste my life?! I want to be with you, Touga!” she yelled, banging her fists on his chest. “What the fuck about that is so hard for you to understand!?”

“You’re too young to comprehend what kind of commitment being with me is, Izayoi. Once you’re mine you will never have another. You will be mine with the same level of surety with which I will belong to you.”

He kept his eyes boring into hers, hoping she’d understand how serious he was. If he took her to be his now, that would be the end of it. If anyone else so much as glanced in her direction he would finish them.

“Are you trying to scare me off?” she whispered, fisting her hands in his clothing and tilting her head back so she could look him in the eyes.

“If anything, I should be asking you if you’re ready to spend your life stuck with an immature human who takes unimaginable pleasure in irritating you.”

He couldn’t help the smile that broke out over his face at her teasing tone when she lifted one hand to trail gently over his face, stopping to cup his cheek with a gentle look in her eyes.

“You’re all I will ever want,” she breathed, inching closer to him, her breathing becoming more erratic with every bit of distance she closed.

“I’ll never let you take that back,” he warned on a low growl, muscled arms finding their way around her slender waist and hauling her up against him, delighting in the small gasp that came from her at the sudden contact.

“I look forward to it,” she giggled, lips brushing against his teasingly as she tangled one of her hands in his hair.

“Are you sure you want to do this -”

“I’ll go easy on you old man, even without your pills, you sure you can keep up?”

With a snarl of irritation, he closed the remaining distance between them, sealing his mouth atop hers with a ferocity that thrilled her.

His hands moved to stroke down her back, and then lower still before he was forcing her up against the hardness of his form, giving a hiss of pleasure as he lifted her off the ground and she wound her legs tightly around his hips, pushing her core against him.

His mouth moved to nip at the sensitive flesh of her throat, and she gave a small cry of pleasure, her hands fisting in his hair and keeping his head pressed against her as she moved desperately against him again. Her hands found their way between their bodies, grasping him tightly through his clothing and a husky laugh escaped her when he snarled her name.

A smugness filled him when her laughter immediately faded when he pushed her back against a tree, using the leverage to grind into her. Her head dropped back against the bark of the trunk, her hands tugging at his shirt, pulling it up over his head before she ran her hands over his form, raking her nails teasingly over him. His own hands shifted, lowering her feet to the floor as he grappled with her t-shirt, tossing it aside somewhere once he finally managed to remove the garment. His claws fumbled with the button on her jeans and she laughed slightly, tossing her hair back out of her face as she made quick work of them before moving onto his own.

And then she was his.

Not an inch of her body went ignored by his roaming hands, a delighted squeal escaping her when he hooked his hands around her thighs, lifting them around him again.

Tongue and teeth replaced the areas his hands had ravished mere moments before, soft kisses soothing the sting of love bites as he finally whispered the words she had longed to hear.

“Old people are so stubborn.” she whispered teasingly, pressing her lips against the flesh of his chest, feeling his thundering heartbeat underneath.

He growled angrily, nipping at her ear in warning as she laughed gently.

And then suddenly she stopped laughing for a very different reason entirely.

“Oh!” she gasped in surprise, her eyes sliding shut, head falling into his shoulder at his sudden movement that had drawn him entirely into her.

“Go easy on the senior citizen,” he muttered, bracing his arms on either side of her as he drove into her with a thrust that made her moan loudly, dragging her nails over his back.

Boy, did he intend to show her just how well he could… keep up.

.

Epilogue

Everything had changed. Well everything except Sesshomaru - that kid was as annoying as ever. And truthfully, he couldn’t say he really minded. No longer did he spend his days wallowing in solitude, aching for the company of someone he could share himself with.

Izayoi had given him that. That and so much more. Her one smile was enough to light up a cloudy day, the sparkle of her eyes rivalling the gleam of the night’s full moon. Her body was as soft as the petals on the blossoms that marked the entry of spring, her voice as sweet as a summer fruit.

With each changing season, Izayoi brought him new joy, new reasons to smile and despite the fact that he wouldn’t allow for Izayoi’s ‘last day,’ to come any time soon, he was slowly learning to live each day ‘like it was his last.’

And by that he meant regularly informing the woman he had taken to be his wife of the love he held for her, a deep affection that he knew would transcend time itself.

So when Izayoi’s scent shifted, and she began to sleep more than she usually did, which was saying something considering the woman didn’t rise until quarter to noon in order to avoid being assigned any chores, he feigned surprise when she shyly informed him that she was expecting.

That he was going to be a father…again.

Speaking of which - how were they going to be keep Sesshomaru from murdering the child to establish his dominance? He could see it, almost as plain as day, and, frankly, he was frightened of his older son’s ability to shoot first, shoot a few more times, stamp on the corpse for a while and then, if he had any time to spare, ask questions.

After a night of hushed declarations of love, arms wound tightly around one another as they revelled in the creation of something so pure, something that was truly evidence of their bond, they set to think of breaking the news to his lordship.

It was a precarious situation considering that if done the wrong way it could lead to all of their deaths. That wasn’t to say Sesshomaru would harm Izayoi or the child while she carried it - oh no, he would much rather wait till the child had grown up and proceed to challenge him to a series of deathmatches no one but Sesshomaru really understood. Izayoi would most likely die from the stress of trying to keep the two of them separated and Touga most definitely did not intend to stick around long enough to have to try and intervene.

So it was with extreme trepidation that he approached his older son with Izayoi half hiding behind him.

“Sesshomaru,” he began wearily, attempting to inject a note of dominance into his voice to discourage any immediate mutiny. At least if Sesshomaru chose to exact his vengeance when his younger sibling reached maturity, it gave Touga adequate time to plan an escape route for his unborn pup. He thanked the gods regularly that Sesshomaru was his eccentric son and not a battle opponent, for when his time came, he would be a formidable one.

“Father, stop. This Sesshomaru must investigate something.” He held up a hand to his father before he stood, narrowing his eyes at Izayoi who squeaked slightly, slinking further behind Touga.

He approached her slowly, circling her slightly before he began to sniff the air around her. He stopped then and took a step back, eyes wide in surprise as he regarded the pair of them.

“Sessh-”

“Father have you brought this one another pet? And is it INSIDE of her this time?! Father, HOW WILL IT BREATHE?”

He was going to kill this kid one day.


End file.
